Andree Putman's Le Rivage: French in the best way

Andree PutmanLe Rivage, a boutique apartment hotel by Andree Putman, opens today in Hong Kong. It is the design chieftess' second project in the city, following her eponymous first venture, The Putman.

Many call Putman the Coco Chanel of the interior design world for the way she transformed the stiff, stuffy, proper style of old French design into the sleek modern look French design is known for today.

Originally a design journalist, Putman later became a designer herself, creating interiors for Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent's shops. Unknown to many outside of the design industry, Putman was also responsible for creating the very first boutique hotel, Morgans Hotel in New York City.

Her latest brainchild in Hong Kong, Le Rivage, comprises 50 one-bedroom suites, each 1,000 square feet. Located close to the Sheung Wan harborfront, the hotel has unobstructed harbor views in each room, which are decorated in blue and white in an homage to the water outside the windows. 

The clean lines, simple elegance and warm intimacy of the rooms are evocative of the home of a classy French lady -- kinda like Andree Putman.

Le Rivage

The Putman